Goldson unsigned, but still working hard on his own

As expected, franchise-tagged safety Dashon Goldson was absent Tuesday for the first day of the 49ers‘ three-day mandatory minicamp.

So where, exactly, is Goldson these days? There’s a chance he’s at a gym near you.

Goldson, 28, who has yet to sign his $6.2 million franchise tender in hopes of landing a long-term contract, has been a workout warrior while his teammates have attended offseason workouts.

He has trained at a minimum of three well-known athletic-performance facilities this offseason: PerformanceGaines in Redondo Beach (Los Angeles County), Proactive Sports Performance in Westlake Village (Los Angeles County) and Bommarito Performance Systems in North Miami Beach.

He might not be playing football these days, but it appears he’ll be in top condition whenever he returns to the field.

Ryan Capretta, a former NFL strength coach who is the founder of Proactive, said Goldson has popped “in and out” of his facility this offseason.

Goldson has also spent a few weeks at Bommarito Performance Systems in South Florida working with trainer Pete Bommarito, whose 49ers clients have included tight end Vernon Davis and running backs Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. Goldson returned to PerformanceGaines this week to reconnect with director Travelle Gaines, who has worked with Goldson since 2008.

“It’s the same old Dashon,” Gaines said. “Just working hard. He’s the same tough kid every day. He works hard, he doesn’t say much, and that’s about all. He sets very high conditioning goals for himself. Whenever this stuff is worked out, it will be business as usual for him. He’s not the guy that rests on his laurels. He’s so hungry and determined to be the best and improve. He’s worth whatever they’re going to pay him.”

Goldson’s commitment served him well last year when he missed the first two weeks of training camp before signing a one-year deal to return to San Francisco. Despite the late start, which came on the heels of the lockout, Goldson had a career-high six interceptions, earned his first Pro Bowl berth and added another interception in the postseason.

Cornerback Tarell Brown, who spoke to Goldson three days ago, expects his teammate to again be ready whenever he reports to the team.

“He’s always committed to football,” said Brown, Goldson’s teammate since 2007. “When you’re a veteran player, you know what it takes to get yourself ready. He knows his body better than anybody else; I know he’s been doing the right things and training really hard.”

Goldson has until July 16 to work out a long-term deal. If he lands such a contract, Gaines said, it will change his bank account, but won’t alter his offseason routine.

“He’s not like players I’ve known in the past – you knew when they got their big deal they were going to let up,” Gaines said. “When Dashon gets paid, he’s probably going to want to work even harder. He’s that type of guy.”